GPU Hierarchy 2023 – Graphics Card Tier List

Find out how different GPUs stack up as we make the ultimate GPU hierarchy based on performance while also keeping value in mind.

Creating a GPU hierarchy can be a difficult task, but it isn’t impossible. With so much variety in the world of graphics cards, the best thing we can do is sort them into different tiers.

We also decided to arrange the cards within tiers themselves, so these classifications are certainly open to discussion.

To avoid overcrowding, only cards in the most recent two generations from AMD and NVIDIA will be considered, as well as the brand new Ampere and RDNA cards.

Let’s get started with the list!

Table of ContentsShow

S Tier

GPU Hierarchy Tier S

Compared to the rest of the GPUs on the market, cards in this tier are considered more suitable for enthusiasts who want to play at 4K resolution, with at least 60 FPS, with the RTX 3090 offering 8K (only with DLSS in particular games).

There are also professional graphics cards out there, but these are generally not used for gaming as much as complex AI research or software development, such as the NVIDIA Titan RTX and the NVIDIA Titan V.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 RTX 3080 and RTX 3070

The power balance in this category changed a bit with the launch of AMD’s RDNA 2 graphics cards. NVIDIA has been the unquestioned leader for the past ten years, but now it appears that AMD is returning to compete for the top spot.

For the first time in years, NVIDIA’s enthusiast-class card faced some rivalry from AMD. In fact, even its flagship GPU faced competition, but the flagships are a notch below the contention for a top spot.

Even with AMD’s earnest attempt at conquering the GPU throne, Nvidia still held it with the RTX 3090 and then took over with the RTX 3090 Ti.

Still, the RX 6900 XT has proven itself to be a great card and takes second place by a small margin ahead of the RTX 3080 Ti. Right behind it, we see the RTX 3080 and RX 6800 XT.

However, with the new RX 6950 XT, AMD ultimately claimed that gaming crown. But only at 1080p resolution. Anything above that and NVIDIA seizes control.

ModelManufacturer
1.RX 6950 XTAMD
2.RTX 3090 TiNVIDIA
3.RTX 3090NVIDIA
4.RX 6900 XTAMD
5.RTX 3080 TiNVIDIA
6.RTX 3080NVIDIA
7.RX 6800 XTAMD
8.Titan RTXNVIDIA

Related:Are NVIDIA RTX Graphics Cards Worth The Money?

A Tier

GPU Hierarchy Tier A

Cards in this tier offer pretty good performance at a much more affordable price, though they are understandably not as powerful as those in the tier above.

Although these cards can provide consistent 60 FPS gaming at 4K resolution, this is unlikely to be the case with extreme settings. At the top, we have the RX 6800, RTX 3070 Ti, RX 6750 XT, and then the RTX 3070.

Despite the latter GPU having a somewhat more affordable price, the RX 6800 is still a superior graphics card. Both outperform the previous generation’s leading card, the RTX 2080 Ti, by a solid margin.

The once-prized RTX 2080 Ti still outperforms NVIDIA’s newest budget card, the RTX 3060 Ti, but that was to be expected, given their respective positions on the market.

MSI GeForce RTX 3070 GAMING X TRIO
RTX 3070 is on par with last generation’s flagship RTX 2080 Ti but still lags behind the RX 6800

From this point, the performance gaps are more incremental but still noticeable. Here we have the RTX 2080 Super, a short distance ahead of the RTX 2070 Super and its base version. From NVIDIA’s Pascal architecture, we have the Titan Xp as the top representative, as well as the Titan X and GTX 1080 Ti.

This is where AMD’s last-generation cards are also able to compete, the RX 5700 XT and Radeon VII.

The reason why we have ranked the RX 5700 XT above the Radeon VII is because of its RDNA architecture, although the Radeon VII certainly presents a strong case with its 16 GB of HBM2 memory.

This is also where you will find the non-Ti RTX 3060 and AMD’s revitalized RDNA 2 GPU, the RX 6650 XT.

As those two AMD cards occupy places here, it would be unfair to leave out the RTX 2070.

Related:RTX 2060 vs RTX 2070 – Which Should You Choose?

ModelManufacturer
1.RX 6800AMD
2.RTX 3070 Ti NVIDIA
3.RX 6750 XTAMD
4.RTX 3070NVIDIA
5.RTX 2080 TiNVIDIA
6.RX 6700 XTAMD
7.RTX 3060 TiNVIDIA
8.RTX 2080 SuperNVIDIA
9.RTX 2080NVIDIA
10.Titan XPNVIDIA
11.Titan XNVIDIA
12.RTX 2070 SuperNVIDIA
13.GTX 1080 TiNVIDIA
14.Radeon VIIAMD
15RX 6650 XTAMD
16.RX 5700 XTAMD
17.RX 6600 XTAMD
18.RTX 3060NVIDIA
19.RX 5700AMD
20.RTX 2070NVIDIA

B Tier

GPU Hierarchy Tier B

‘B’ does not stand for ‘bad’ or ‘budget’. In fact, these are perfectly serviceable cards that will provide you with a reliable performance for budget-friendly builds. One thing that should also be carefully considered is that this is the lowest tier where we will see cards that support real-time raytracing in the GPU hierarchy.

The king of this tier is the AMD RX 5700 because of its advantageous price point and one of the best cost-effective GPUs out there. Right next to it, we have the RX Vega 64 and the RX 5600 XT.

As you can see below, this tier consists predominantly of AMD cards with some less powerful GPUs from NVIDIA, such as the RTX 2060, the GTX 1080, and the GTX 1070 Ti.

rx5700

This is the final level where you can easily enjoy 144 FPS gaming without compromising on visual quality, as long as you have a suitable screen to back it up.

ModelManufacturer
1.RTX 2060 SuperNVIDIA
2.RX 6600AMD
3.RX Vega 64AMD
4.RX 5600 XTAMD
5.RTX 2060NVIDIA
6.GTX 1080NVIDIA
7.RX Vega 56AMD
8.GTX 1070 TiNVIDIA

C Tier

GPU Hierarchy Tier C

In this tier, we’re at half the cost of the RTX 2080 Ti, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t play with these cards.

They might not be able to pull off 1440p, but 1080p and 60 FPS at elevated settings might be plenty for you, depending on your preferences. Unfortunately, this won’t be possible on some of the most challenging games. Lowering the settings further may be necessary for 60 FPS gaming.

gtx1660ti

Here’s where NVIDIA again reigns supreme, with exceptional GPUs, including the GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 1660 Super, followed closely by the GTX 1070 and GTX 1660. AMD didn’t go missing here, although their performance in this tier is subpar with their representative RX 5500 XT, both the 4GB and 8GB version, falling short of NVIDIA.

The GTX 1650 Super is between two RX 5500 XT versions. The GTX 1060 6GB is in the C tier.

ModelManufacturer
1.GTX 1660 TiNVIDIA
2.GTX 1660 SuperNVIDIA
3.GTX 1070NVIDIA
4.GTX 1660NVIDIA
5.RX 5500 XT 8GBAND
6.GTX 1650 SuperNVIDIA
7.RX 5500 XT 4GBAMD
8.GTX 1060 6GBNVIDIA

D Tier

GPU Hierarchy Tier D

Budget cards belonging to this tier are at the bottom of the list for a reason. That being said, you can still obtain a satisfactory performance with these GPUs. Even if you’re on a tight budget, there can still be a hierarchy to help you make an informed, individual decision.

gtx1650

Unlike in the other tiers, here, the top pick does not have a strong case to be in the tier above. The top of the D tier is the GTX 1650, closely followed by the GTX 1060 3GB. Due to the previously imposed restrictions, the only other members of this tier are the GTX 1050 Ti and GTX 1050.

ModelManufacturer
1.GTX 1650NVIDIA
2.GTX 1060 3GBNVIDIA
3.GTX 1050 TiNVIDIA
4.GTX 1050NVIDIA

Final Words On The GPU Hierarchy

Although there are some other cards that could perform on the same level as the cards from our GPU hierarchy, they were excluded for a reason. As mentioned before, only the two most recent generations of AMD and NVIDIA GPUs were included. This means you won’t find cards older than the 5th generation GCN and Pascal.

This hierarchy was based on external sources for performance comparisons, such as Tom’s Hardware and the 3DMark Time Spy graphics score.

Furthermore, this list is set for some shuffling, as both AMD’s and NVIDIA’s newest GPU architectures, RDNA 2 and Ampere, are hitting the stores.

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Aleksandar Cosic

Alex is a Computer Science student and a former game designer. That has enabled him to develop skills in critical thinking and fair analysis. As a CS student, Aleksandar has very in-depth technical knowledge about computers, and he also likes to stay current with new technologies.